The invention relates generally to a haptic feedback system for vehicle seating.
Certain vehicle seats are configured to vibrate to alert a driver of various detected conditions. For example, if a vehicle drifts outside of a lane of traffic, an onboard computer may detect this condition and induce a vibration with the driver seat to warn the driver. This seat vibration functionality is generally known as haptic feedback, and may serve to alert a driver of lane departure, an approaching vehicle or obstacle, exceeding a speed limit, activation of a turn signal, low fuel level, crash avoidance, or other detected conditions. In certain haptic feedback systems, the vibrations are induced within the seat by one or more eccentric mass shakers. These shakers typically include an electric motor configured to rotate a mass positioned off-center from the motor rotation axis. Consequently, if the vehicle computer detects a predetermined condition (e.g., lane departure), the computer may engage the electric motor causing the eccentric mass shaker to vibrate the seat.
Unfortunately, due to the expense associated with such eccentric mass shakers, providing haptic feedback within a driver seat may significantly increase the cost of vehicle seating. Furthermore, the eccentric mass shakers may increase the weight of the vehicle, thereby decreasing performance and/or reducing fuel efficiency. Because typical eccentric mass shakers are only capable of vibrating at one frequency and amplitude, multiple shakers may be positioned throughout the driver seat to differentiate between various vehicle conditions. For example, one shaker may be positioned within a seat bottom to alert a driver of a first vehicle condition, while a second shaker is positioned within a seat back to alert the driver of a second vehicle condition. As will be appreciated, weight increases proportionally to the number of shakers employed. Consequently, typical haptic feedback systems may increase both the weight and production costs associated with vehicle seating.